The present invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a body structure that has lateral structure having a side door, a vehicle seat that is mounted on the body structure, and a side impact protection device for a passenger in the vehicle. The side impact protection device includes a head airbag, with a first inflation device that can deploy upward in a region of breastwork of the lateral structure, and a side airbag, with a second inflation device that can deploy laterally from the seat.
A motor vehicle known from German publication DE 43 04 152 A1 has a body structure that comprises a lateral structure with a side door. On the body structure, specifically on its underbody, a vehicle seat is mounted. A side impact protection device provided for a passenger inside the vehicle comprises two separate airbags, each with its own inflation device. One of the airbags is designed as a head airbag, and deploys upward in the area of the breastwork of the side door, in other words, toward the roof of the body structure. In the known vehicle, the second airbag with its inflation device is positioned on the seat, below the seat surface, and forms a side airbag to protect the vehicle passenger's thigh that is adjacent to the door.
An object of the invention is to provide a motor vehicle of this type in which the side impact protection device is optimized and can be used in vehicles having different body structures.
This object is attained by way of a motor vehicle in which the side airbag is designed as a thorax airbag that, in a ready position, is arranged, together with the second inflation device, inside a seat back of the vehicle seat, and that can deploy out of a side wall of the seat back essentially toward a front, and in which, when the thorax airbag is in its deployed state, its upper edge comes to rest next to the breastwork of the lateral structure. Further features that serve to characterize the invention form the subject matter of dependent claims. A process of using a side impact protection device is also claimed.
One principle benefit achieved with the invention is that with separate implementation of the head airbag and the thorax airbag, each with its own multistage inflation device, the pyrotechnic and/or gaseous charges in the inflation devices can be low. In addition, the inflation pressures can be reduced in comparison with large-volume airbags that are designed to protect both head and thorax with a single cushion. Furthermore, a side impact protection device pursuant to the invention can be used both for closed vehicles, such as sedans or coupes, and for open vehicles that have no longitudinal roof beam or whose roof beam is not suited to accepting an airbag. Since, when the thorax airbag is inflated, its upper edge lies next to the breastwork of the lateral structure, the activated airbags essentially provide continuous side impact protection, so that both the head and the chest area are seamlessly covered in the event of a side collision.
According to a further feature of the invention, the thorax airbag that deploys from the seat back does not collide with the passenger's safety belt device, because it can be effectively positioned within the triangle spanned by the safety belt between the upper and lower anchorage points.
According to one preferred embodiment, the thorax airbag is deployed from the deployment opening at an upward angle in the direction of the breastwork, so that it extends up to the head airbag that is deployed from the breastwork.
It is advantageous that there is sufficient space in the lateral structure for other built-in components, since the head airbag module, comprising the head airbag and its inflation device, lies directly below the breastwork.
According to a further development, it is advantageous that, in comparison with other known side impact protection devices (German publication DE 44 09 770 A1), in which, when the airbag inflates, a component of force is exerted in the direction of the passenger, the side impact protection device of the invention has this component of force to a small degree.
The lower edge of the thorax airbag can extend up to the pelvic region, so that a combined cushion for the thorax and the pelvic region is formed.